


Ocean Eyes

by songofthe52hertzwhale



Category: Dalton Academy Series
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-01 14:26:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15145112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/songofthe52hertzwhale/pseuds/songofthe52hertzwhale
Summary: Julian never really expected Clark to sneak up on him the way that he did.





	Ocean Eyes

_I've never fallen from quite this high_

_Falling into your ocean eyes_

_Those ocean eyes_

 

It’s a little surprising, that he never saw this coming.

Clark’s always been there for him, no matter what. He’s always been the one steady, calming presence in Julian’s life. He’s always been _there_ , no matter what. Even on Julian’s worst days, when his frustration and anxiety bubbled over and he snapped at everyone in his path, Clark is there. Sometimes with a smile, other times with a stern dose of reality nobody else will offer.

It makes sense, really.

If his life were a script, if he were in the audience of the _Julian Larson Movie_ , it’s what he’d want. If he watched someone else live out his drama, watch his character get hurt by Logan Wright and Sebastian Smythe and cry into his pillow night after night, this is what he’d want. He’d be yelling at the screen, at this point, screaming for his character to pick _Clark_ , to pick the nice smiling boy who always puts him back together after he breaks.

But for some reason, playing this out in real time doesn’t make as much sense.

In his real life, the life that isn’t spelled out for him in a script — despite how badly he wishes it _were_ sometimes — Clark takes him by surprise.

“That’s it, J,” Clark says calmly, arm wrapped around Julian’s waist, “About three more steps, ready? One…two…and you’re _there_! See, I said you could do it.”

“Fuck me,” Julian gasps, leaning heavily against Clark, “Holy _shit_ , walking isn’t supposed to be this hard.”

“It is when you broke as many bones as you did.”

Clark helps Julian to the nearest piece of furniture, doesn’t let go until Julian’s settled back against the chair. He hands Julian the bottle of water he’s been holding onto, is kind enough to pretend not to notice when Julian spills a little down his shirt. Once Julian’s done, he takes it, re-caps the bottle and smiles up at him, kind as ever.

“Alright, superstar, now that you’ve conquered stairs, what’s next?”

“A nap.”

Clark actually throws his head back and laughs. It’s a nice sound, one that sends a pleasant little tingle down Julian’s spine.

“I meant for tomorrow. What’s on your physical therapist’s list after stairs?”

“You know you don’t have to do this, right?”

“I know,” Clark smiles softly, brushes a finger across Julian’s nose, “I want to. Besides, I’m not sure your mom’s strong enough to catch you if you fall like you did last week.”

“She tries. Really hard.”

“Well I’m big enough that I don’t have to try too hard. Especially now that you’re a good twenty pounds lighter than you used to be. Speaking of…”

He reaches into his pocket, ignores Julian’s groan of despair and pulls out one of the high-calorie protein bars he’d found at some health food store.

“Is at least a good flavor this time? That pistachio one was _awful,_ ” he takes it anyway, bites off a small piece out of what _might_ be a coffee-flavored bar. Clark’s been pushing these on him since he started eating solid foods again — his appetite is still a little low, and Clark’s insisted on making the most out of the few bites he does manage. He’s even more strict about Julian’s diet than Dolce is. A little ironic, considering his own tendency to inhale a pizza meant for a family of five in under ten minutes. He watches a little seriously, doesn’t look satisfied until Julian’s eaten half of the bar.

“Alright, I have to get to rehearsal. But I’ll see you tomorrow? Same time?”

“I’ll be here. Just like always.”

“Hey,” Clark leans in, squeezing at Julian’s shoulder, “It’ll get better. I promise. Maybe we can try taking a walk outside tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Yeah maybe.”

Before Julian can comprehend what’s happening, Clark is leaning in, pressing his lips to Julian’s cheek. He says something as he leaves, but Julian’s brain has short-circuited, every fiber of his being focused on the tingling of his skin where Clark’s lips had touched.

It’s not a sudden, terrifying realization, the way it was with Logan.

Clark keeps coming back, day after day. He helps Julian with his exercises, holds onto him as he stumbles his way up the stairs. He tugs Julian outside, encourages him to finish at least two laps around the pool. After, he pulls Julian _into_ the pool, holding him afloat and laughing when Julian splashes at him.

“It’s water therapy!” He says, grinning, “I’ve read great things about it.”

“Yeah, great until I _drown_.”

Clark’s face softens a little, and he spins Julian in a slow circle through the water, “You know I’d never let that happen.”

Julian’s struck by that. By the naked honesty in Clark’s words, the way even his _eyes_ are smiling.

Nobody’s ever looked at him the way Clark is now.

At first, Julian thinks he might be imagining it.

It’s his pain medication, probably. It makes his brain a little hazy, sometimes. Or maybe he just wants someone to look at him so badly he’s inventing it wherever he can.

But then he starts to pay attention.

He sees Clark’s eyes on him as he stumbles up and down the stairs. Notices the smile on his face when Julian eats just a little more than he had the day before. He feels the way Clark’s hands linger on him just a little too long, the excuses me makes to visit every single day despite his own busy schedule.

It’s a lot to take in.

Clark Sawyer.

 _Clark. Sawyer_.

It makes sense, when he thinks about it. Clark’s kind, and stable, and he takes care of Julian better than anyone else ever has. He’s found the weird balance between understanding Hollywood and not getting sucked into the grimy underbelly of it all, has managed to make a name for himself in both the music and film industries without walking over other people to do it.

But it’s more than just that.

Julian feels _warm_ , when Clark’s around. He feels safe. Protected. Feels, for once, like he’s not expected to be someone different. Clark’s never asked him for more than he’s able to give, never pressured Julian into changing himself for Clark’s own sake. With Clark around, Julian feels like everything’s going to be okay.

He considers it, as he stares out at the rolling waves.

He’s always felt calm by the ocean. Travis’s property backs right up to a small private beach, one Julian knows he won’t be bothered on. He plops himself down onto the warm sand, hugs his knees to his chest and gazes out at the water.

Somehow, he’s unsurprised when Clark sits down beside him.

“I’d make a joke about you stalking me,” Julian says without looking up, “But my therapist says I should cool it with the dark humor. Apparently it’s off-putting to people who don’t know me well.”

Clark laughs a little, shifts positions so Julian can lean back against him if he needs to, “I stopped by your mom’s house. She said you were at your dad’s. Your dad said you’d be out here.”

“Walked all by myself. You’d be proud of me. Only took me an hour, too.”

“It did not take an _hour_.”

“Sand is hard.”

“ _Julian_ …”

“I just needed to think about things.”

“Oh,” Clark frowns a little, “I’m sorry. Do you want me to go?”

Julian leans back into Clark’s chest, “It’s okay. I think I’ve thought enough for the day.”

“About anything important?”

“Do you like me?”

He probably shouldn’t blurt it out that abruptly, but Clark doesn’t seem surprised. He lets out a breath, rubs a circle into Julian’s shoulder blades.

“I wasn’t going to say anything yet,” he admits, “I know you’ve got a lot to deal with right now. That this is kind of the last thing you need to worry about right now.”

“You don’t make me worry,” Julian says, eyes still fixed on the rolling waves, “You’re…calm.”

“I’m calm?”

“Yeah. Like this, you know?”

“…like the beach?”

“The ocean. I’m not sure I can explain it. But the way I feel here? It’s the way I feel with you.”

Clark’s hand still on Julian’s back, “That’s a good thing, right?”

“Yeah. It is. I like feeling like this. It doesn’t happen often.”

“I could offer to spend more time with you, but that might be selfish.”

“Like you’ve ever been selfish a day in your life.”

“I’m not _actually_ perfect, you know.”

“You are to me.”

He looks up and meets Clark’s eyes, the blue almost perfectly matching the ocean Julian’s spent the past few hours staring at. Clark smiles back, leans down and drops a light kiss to Julian’s forehead. He squeezes Julian’s shoulders, brings his hand back to Julian’s shoulders.

“You want to head back in? You made it all the way out here alone, I won’t make fun of you if you need me to carry you back.”

“I might,” Julian turns his face back to the water, “Just a few more minutes, though. This is nice.”

“…yeah. It really is.”


End file.
